Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 20,041,753 km of Earth in 2026
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

Selqet is a small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified Selqet as a "Near Earth Asteroid" due to its orbit's proximity to Earth, but it is not considered potentially hazardous because computer simulations have not indicated any imminent likelihood of future collision.

Selqet orbits the sun every 332 days (0.91 years), coming as close as 0.61 AU and reaching as far as 1.26 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, Selqet is probably between 0.425 to 0.951 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than ~97% of asteroids but small compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Close Approaches

Selqet's orbit is 0.11 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is a wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.

Selqet has 14 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
May 21, 2026 20,041,753 9.530
May 29, 2036 25,653,031 9.211
May 14, 2065 22,271,499 13.183
May 15, 2075 17,189,060 11.284
May 19, 2085 18,336,078 9.815
May 26, 2095 23,413,188 9.244
June 6, 2105 29,826,739 9.240
May 16, 2124 25,346,555 14.024
May 16, 2134 18,112,245 11.839
May 18, 2144 17,099,664 10.222
May 24, 2154 21,422,963 9.356
June 2, 2164 27,353,146 9.192
May 17, 2183 29,657,443 15.067
May 16, 2193 19,888,443 12.537

Images and Observations

Selqet's orbit is determined by observations dating back to June 29, 1997. It was last officially observed on May 7, 2019. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 637 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

This asteroid is not considered a viable target for human exploration by the NHATS study.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of Selqet:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.9375 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3463
  • Inclination: 12.78°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 259.92°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 203.82°
  • Mean Anomaly: 120.7°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.549 km
  • Magnitude: 18.98

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 332 days (0.91 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 30.72 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.26 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.61 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Selqet is indicated by a ◯ pink circle. Note that the object may not be in your current field of view. Use the controls below to adjust position, location, and time.

Size Rendering

The above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of Selqet to create an approximate landscape rendering with Mount Everest in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.